| Show I ti if I I I Di DUll mond mo d Gui Cut Dia By JANE BUNKER tt Copyright by the Dobbs Merrin Company m m W I A MILLION DOLLARS IN MY STOCKING STOCKING- Synopsis While While In the little French rench town of ot Vevay where the staid proper spinster who tells the story Is spending a a. vacation she Is la asked to allow a young girl Claire de to be her companion back to the tho United States Although forming an attachment to the girl the heroine takes a a. dislike to Monsieur de Claires Claire's father and declines On the boat she finds finds' Claire In the care of ot a a. casual acquaintance Mrs Delario Delano whom she had met while each was purchasing a pair of ot slippers exactly alike which figure largely In subsequent events When they reach New York where Claire was to have been met by her mother the latter does not appear and Claire perforce goes to Mrs Delano's home In the contusion confusion at the custom house the spinster carries oft off one of ot Mrs Delano's slippers Through that happening she learns later that some on one unknown to her has been In her flat fiat Calling on Mrs Delario that lady shows her some sone remarkable gems believing them to be rubles rubies but which are really red blood diamonds and easily worth worth wortha a a. million dollars Mrs Mrs Delario Delano admits the gems were smuggled but offers otters no explanation explanationS While they are talking a a. pounding on oa the door throws them Into consternation CHAPTER IV 4 The Wicked Flee I confess I was frightened when I 11 though of the diamonds and only two women alone In the house house apparently to to guard them but Mrs Irs Delario Delaro Delario Dela Dela- rio ro was terrified These stones stones she she looked about the room despairingly Where can I hide them And we two women alone In the house house- Again the ring ring ring-n a long long rattle whoever It was meant to get In Followed FolIc Followed Fol Fol- Ic lowed wed a pounding on the door Mrs Delario Delano though deathly white was now nosy composed and ready to meet the emergency whatever It was was Mechanically Mechanically Mechanically Me Me- she slipped the elastic over the box and aad rose Ill go to the thedoor door she decided Its better to see who It is anyway Perhaps its Its It's only a district messenger messenger If It isn Isn't-if Isn't t-If t If It should be officers officers- they might break In the door And with that she whisked whisked- up her skirt and tucked the box bos down Into her stocking S SI I had risen and was preparing to follow ollow her out but feeling she might need me but she turned and said for me meto meto meto to wait walt behind the door out of sight and listen She left me I heard the front dt door or open just as the pounding began again agan She asked What Is It and a mans man's voice oice oice answered Does Eugene Delario Delano live Uve here She said he did and demanded de tie- what was wanted of him The Theman's plans mans v voice ice said I must see him at once And then to my amazement I heard her tell the man Im sorry but you cant can't tonight cant tonight hes he's sick in bedI bed I 1 rather think I can see him then retort And I will There followed well n not t quite a scuffle but a very active shuffling of offe fe feet t. t and the man pushed his way Into the house In spite of her pushing her aside from the door which he shut with a bang and a Now then Sensations Sensations Sen Sea began to trickle down my spine In which room Is the young man sick demanded the voice I tell you you cant can't see him him I I refuse refuse refuse re re- fuse to to- let you you go upstairs What right have you forcing yourself into my house this way and demanding to see my sick son she asked angrily Now lady l be reasonable and Ill I'll show you OUi he replied In a tone meant to Conciliate I h heard ard a rattle of of- pa pa- per perA A warrant I 1 she sie gasped Th what he said Want to see my badge There was a slight rustle a as I assumed he showed it to It I to her for she gasped An officer officer officer-a a warrant warrant war war- rant tanti I and seemed to sway on the stair i S Now lady he began still conc conciliating conciliating U- U you dont don't want to toI tomake I make male any anymore more trouble for yourself thans than's essary I got to do my duty and duty and It aint always pleasant pleasant but but I got to do it It aint my fault If I got to arrest your son son son-I I aint doing It to spite you ou nor him he him he didn't steal any diamonds ot off me you know know- Steal any diamonds I I she Inter inter- ru ted He never stole a diamond In his life Never I 1 II II I fancied the man shrugging as he answered So much the better for him if he didn't steal them them them-I'm Im I'm sure I hope for your sake he didn't though It looks bad him trying to sell them to very the parties panties that knew all about them Oh I and I could see her clinging to the banister She was evidently at ata ata ata a loss what to do I un understood In a flash what had happened thIs happened this this man tuna or an accomplice was the one who had followed her son home from the Maiden Malden lane dealers dealer's yesterday He evidently thought he was making headway for he went on Now INow see here lady you take It from me the me-the the parties that are pressing press press- ing lag this case dont don't care for publicity any more than you do or do-or or your son does It would ruin him If It got Into the papers to say nothing of his serving servo ing lag time for It it- it Serving time I My God Godl I broke from her lier Involuntarily Of course hell he'll serve time If Its It's proved on him her visitor assured her She gave a sob I was wrought up It was all I could do to keep my y place and not Join her and help defy the theman theman i man man but but his next words held me lis Its If hell he'll give back the stones he showed yesterday or tell where hes he's I hid bid them T J can set act et this settled out of t J 1 f I co coyo court and nobody will be the wiser wiser wiser-if if yo you dont don't say anything See It Isn't true I she cried My son never stole a cents cent's worth of anything in Ia n his life Heres the warrant Arrest him if you will but the la law lawwill lawwill will prove him Innocent innocent innocent-if If theres there's lawIn lawin law lawIn In the land and I sometimes doubt It But hadn't you talk to him first It wont won't hurt to hear wh what t he has hris to say and If It can be arrange arranged on the quiet quiet quiet- lOr I Ishall T shall not talk to him I Do you I think I would Insult my son c n by asking him if he stole stoIc diamonds Followed a silence Then the mans man's voice Well If you wont won't I suppose you ou wont But you'll regret It lt I wont Then Thea Ill I'll have to do It myself Which h room is s he sick In The third floor back but back but you cant can't go up and she planted herself across his way I saw Raw his hand reach out and remove hers from the banister and as he passed her she sank on the l lowest west step and began to sob I may have counted six sis when Mrs Irs Delario Delano whipped Into the room my coat on her arm Quick you Quick you must go she whis whis- You must must hide my d diamonds monds I I gasped and asked How While hes he's upstairs trying to get Into a locked room She was dragging my coat on my ray arms arms and saying at the same time Its a fake that fake that man Isn't an officer I knew It was coming I I saw It clairvoyantly clairvoyantly clair clair- when h ugene came home Hurry Hurry Hurry-hurry hurry 1 But suppose suppose- I began She cut me short You can I He doesn't know youre you're here here here-he he didn't see you You can get away while hes he's breaking In the door and looking for Eugene Ill Ill I'll have time time timeto to telephone the police pollee Only go go go-go go Immediately Immediately- before he sees you She whisked whisk up her skirts as she spoke pulled the box bos out of her stocking stock stock- In ing and thrust It In my ray hands handi I cant I felt I simply couldn't take the responsibility But they're mine I mine I swear to God they're mine she cried evidently thinking the mans man's words had convinced convinced con eon vinced me that hs ston stones s were stolen 1 I Knew It Was Coming Hurry Coming Hurry all I have In Ia the wo world word d. d If they're found by these scoundrels they'll be stolen from us Dont Don't you see It That mans man's a thief From upstairs came came the noise of pounding on doors and the words I know youre you're here so you may mayas as well open the door I held the box bos too paralyzed l to know what to do but Mrs Delario Delano had her wits about her If I Put It In your stocking ing and run sho commanded Quick your Quick your stock stock- Ing S SAnd And I whisked up my skirt even as she had done and stowed the diamonds dia dia- monds In ID my stocking S She pushed me out of the room ahead of her and we tiptoe J to th the Vestibule Run nun she whispered Im going to scream for help as soon as youre you're out of sight In Ia her hurry to gd me off she almost pushed me down the steps Then she 2 J- J a t 1 snatched notched off oIl her thin slipper sUpper and th tho last ast glimpse I got of her as I the he corner showed her ramming It int n the he crack of the front door to hold bold i lt t open pen What she did next she sho told me later but ut I may as well put It In here was as out of ot sight when the man blus blustered blus' blus blustered ered up to where she stood In the open pen door looking up and down th street treet for somebody to call j You may as well tell that young man of yours growled he that If h hont dont don't let me In Ill I'll break the door In I I dont don't think you will she sa sal calmly almly Now go Not till I get what I t came for h ii haid saId aid taking hold of the door and try try- try try-s lag Ing ng to move it and finding It wedged open 71 m 11 Well you'll not do that this trip said ald she with spirit He isn't ther there 4 4 and nd he Wasn't there He was In Ia the thea C sitting ro room m a at d the end of the hall ball she pointed to the room thC door of which he could see stood open and pen and while you were trotting upstairs he ran out for a policeman If t you d dont don't nt believe It wait walt and see seeor for or yourself At that the fellow seized her arm armand armand and nd tried to p pull II her her herback back into the house louse and shut the door but found It still till wedged open he could not see with what as he was on the Inside But the moment he laid hands on her hershe hershe hershe she began to scream Help I Help I as ns loudly as ever ever- she could He didn't wait to see what hap- hap as as a matter of fact nothIng happened for there wasn't Ii soul In Insight Insight insight sight on West End avenue when she screamed Ill have a squad of police here myself myself my my- self to help you If that's what youre you're aft after r he flung back as a parting threat when he bolted down the steps and disappeared around th the same cornel corner cor con ncr ner that had just just hidden hidden me But that was the last she heard of him that night She pulled her slipper sUpper out ut of the crack and shut the door T Then en she he went all to pieces and had a cry S S C As for me when I left the house I 1 crossed the street turned south and into the first street cross et I came to It seemed as though everybody knew 1 I had a million dollars In my stocking and w was s just waiting to nab me or hand me over to the next policeman But as nothing happened I little more coherent though I had the feeling I 1 was was being followed all the the tIme time yet I cou couldn't spot my shadow My whole My-whole whole of mind was bent on giving my pursuer the slip When at last I spied a subway station I jumped off the car made a it bolt bolf of It for the he stairs rushed past the ticket chopper i throwing a a nickel ckel Into his box box board boaM- board 1 ed a train that fortunately proved to tobe tobe tobe be a north-bound north express got off ore at atthe atthe atthe the next station and took a local got out and took another express and got out for good when the guard bawled n forty w walked round the bl block ck where where I 1 live and when there ther wasn't a living soul in sight duck ducked d dInto into the front door of my apartment house S The elevator was vas rattling down from upstairs but I didn't wait walt for it I tIptoed tiptoed tiptoed tip tip- toed up the stairs the descending e ele elevator ie- ie vator drowning the sound of my steps I 1 let myself in put up the the chain bolt and took tooka a long breach breth Then my mj knees suddenly crumpled up under me and I went all to pIe pieces es In a n heap It was almost almost- two Jwo o'clock before I found strength enough to undress and andI I was so dazy I could hardly get my mj clothes ot off While I was doing It I had brief thoughts of keeping on my stockIng and taking the diamonds t to tobed tobed bed with me but I decided rip rip rio theres there's a limit to ones one's obligations In Ina Ina ina a case like If burglars come to burgle burgle and and have you ever noticed how very near a burglar feels when you have a million dollars In thi the house Ill house Ill I'll let them burgle Ill I'll no not help but ru Ill Til not hinder life Is to too uncertain at Its best So I set the box boxon boxon boxon on the edge of the dining room table conveniently where burglars who were looking for Just such a shabby little box filled filled with diamonds couldn fail fall to see It the instant they jImmied jimmied the front door off its hinges or go goin got in from the fire escape or crawled up ur the kitchen dumb waiter or came cam down the gas log Into the fireplace And then I went to bed bed and and slept expecting to find that box exactly where I put It CHAPTER V. V More Trouble And nd AndI nd I did ld For the only time time time-as as asfar far as I remember remember-in In the whole of this adventure Into which Id I'd been dragged to save a friend the expected happened I slept siept and overslept and waked up feeling drugged and cold and with a dull wonder if Id I'd dreamed It the night before and as I came out of my bedroom I saw the box bos of diamonds just where Id I'd left It and it gave gave me a thrill But I let It lie and took my bath and dr dressed without without with with- out going near it Then the lid with the feeling that I Was was bound to find the box empty And there lay the seven diamonds Just t as I had put them back At this point something dan dangerously S r Y 12 un under er your your- bonnet I II I saying r- r was I a reading rendIng and would be out soon bu but butI I 1 waited a a good hour half-hour ticked off oil by an ugly expensive mantel clock 1 s Oh Please Pease Keep Them Just a Little Longer before r I h heard ard the room door open and the rustle of skirts that told me the sitter was leaving Mrs Delario Delano showed her out and then came into the reception room looking pasty and unnatural I held tile tile- b box x In my hand ready for her When she saw me and me-and and It it-I it I thought she would faint No No dont no don't dont 1 I she cried as I attempted attempted at at- tempted to give It to her She struggled led for breath for a few minutes but regaining her composure she apologized apolo for the way shed she'd acted saying that the shock of f the night b before fore had left her unstrung and that seeing the stones again In the house when sh she thought they were safe had been too much for her herand and then she told me how she shed she'd d foiled the thief the before before- and had afterward afterward rushed rushed to to the telephone and warned her son son son- who was spending the evening with his fiancee not fiancee not to come home come home but to togo togo togo go go to a hotel under an assumed name Which she hoped hed he'd done but didn't know Oh if I could only S see see |
